The Pantorouter

I call this machine the "pantorouter" because it's essentially a big pantograph mechanism with a router in it. It's used to route shapes from 2x sized templates. I originally designed it for cutting tenons, but the machine is very versatile and can be used for all kinds of wood joints.

I invented and published this machine in 2010. In 2014, I built the Pantorouter XL, which is designed to accommodate plunge routers.

In 2018, I revised the design, adding a vertically adjustable template holder, moving the depth stops to the side, and a few minor changes to make it easier to build. This time, I filmed the whole construction.

Building the pantorouter: (25 minute video)


How the pantorouter works and using it:

Using the pantorouter
to make joints
(2010)

How it works
(2010)
Coming up with
the design
(2010)
Cutting through
dovetail joints
(2010)
Making and setting up tenon templates (2020)
Tenon templates
for the pantorouter
(2013)
How to align templates Cutting a large joint.
(2010)
Dave Tenney on
making tenon templates
Making plantation shutters (2012)

Making a finger joint
(2011)
Cube in a cube in a cube
(2013)
Assembling the 2018 pantorouter
Buy a pantorouter at pantorouter.com

Construction of the original machine in 2010:

Building the
pantorouter
Router mount
for a palm router
Linear glides
from drawer slides
Holddown clamp
Improved pantorotuer followers

Specifications
Buy plans for the pantorouter

More projects where I used the pantorouter:

Coat hooks
Paper towel holder
Wooden hinges
Scaffold build
Designing segmented Knapp-joint pantorouter templates
Building a large
mirror stand
Quickie workbench
Ukulele neck mortise
Rolling under bed
storage drawer
Scarf splice joint to
fix broken chair legs
Needlessly complicated
axe handle repair
Half-blind dovetail joints
Clever 3-way joint
(Kawai Tsugite)
Double tenon with the metal pantorouter
Knock down laptop
table / standup desk
Pantorouter tradeshow display
Workbench drawers
Wooden chain carved using only power tools
Pantorouter dust collection experiment
Testing the new pantorouter dust collection hood
New dust hood on wooden pantorouter
Cantilevered double tenon shelves
Shelves with double mortise and tenon joints
Building a 3-legged stool
Knock-down table
Knapp jointed box
Tenons on bent chair back rungs
Chairs

Reader built Pantorouter machines:

Also check out:

3D router pantograph
Pantorouter XL for
plunge routers

Watch all the videos about my pantorouter by clicking play below:

To my woodworking website